Rose of Fate
by Prism
Summary: Once upon a time, I had a decent title...... No wait. It's Juri/Utena, of course! Fluff fest!


Look! I'm back! But for the last time if I don't see some more J/U fics popping up!  
  
Title: Rose of Fate *cheesy, yes*  
  
Author: Prism  
  
Summary: Fluff in any sense of the word  
  
Note: This is actually a gift fic I wrote for Mel. Thanks for letting me post it, Sempai!  
*************  
  
It had been a hectic week at Ohtori Academy. It was the last week for the senior class. For the last five days they had been running around, finishing work, saying goodbye, pulling pranks they could never be punished for........ and, of course, what last day of school wouldn't be complete without a loud, wild senior party?  
  
Said party was in full swing in the backyard of a classmate's backyard. The immaculate lawn was covered in various alcohol containers and occasionaly bodies of people who had emptied too many containers. The rest of the revalers had turned their attention to the poor drunk who had gotten hold of a guitar and was trying to rip it's strings out, by the sound of it. Everyone that is, except for the golden-haired girl who sat back on a lone stone bench, twirling a glass of some unknown beverage in her hands.  
  
Juri streched her legs out, carefully avoiding splashing her new red pumps in the puddle of beer. The senior girl was decked out in the dress she had bought just for this *rapidly declining in fun* occasion. It was short, red, spaghetti strapped, and sparkly. She hated it. But it had seemed like a good idea at the time, and she HAD had someone in mind when she had seen it in the store window.  
  
Ahh yes. Utena. The pink haired goddess. The sword-fighting, beautiful girl that haunted her dreams. The completely perfect, completely unreachable Utena. And believe you me, she had reached.  
  
*flashback to earlier that day*  
  
The 10th grade girl in a boy's uniform walked cautiously into the clearing. She had been asked here by someone she relativily trusted, but the last few years had been enough to dampen even her trusting nature. At the moment, the clearing was.....well, clear. Where was her summoner?   
  
She could still hear the multiple voices rising from the school yard behind the thin layer of trees. The day had been a tearful one, with the senior class leaving. Now, at the lunch hour, the hugs and farewells had swelled to a head. Utena had been very grateful to get away from the emotions that swirled in the air. These days always made her sad.  
  
As she took a few more steps into the clearing to find a place to set her lunch, a slightly taller shadow slipped from behind a tree and walked stealthily up behind her.   
  
She nearly jumped out of her skin at the soft touch on her shoulder. She spun quickly and looked up into the familiar green eyes.   
  
"Sempai! You startled me! I thought you might not show up."  
  
The older girl smiled warmly at her. "I would not stand you up, Tenjou-kun."  
  
Utena blushed a little and sat down in a comfortable spot on the grass. As Juri settled next to her, she opened her lunch and pulled out a small bag of cookies. Juri smiled that smile that made her feel like blushing in embaressment, and at the same time, like smiling back.  
  
"Cookies first? Really, how rebelious, Tenjou-kun.", said in that soft, private tone that had Utena wondering.  
  
She just smiled and took a bite. After an offer to Juri, a refusal, and a little milk to wash it down, she abandoned her lunch and turned to the golden haired one next to her.  
  
"Not that I'm not flattered that you want to spend your last lunch hour with me, Sempai, but why aren't you with your friends? I'm sure they want to say goodbye!"  
  
"I've said my goodbyes to them. I had something more important to talk to you about."  
  
Utena was interested now. "What is it? Is something the matter?"  
  
"Oh no. It's good I believe. It's just so hard to open up after holding it in all this time." Juri reached up and touched a dangling end of the pink hair very lightly.  
  
Utena smiled as gently as she could and scooted closer til her knees bumped the older girl's hip. She grabbed the hand that had stayed hovering in the air as she moved.   
  
"You can tell me anything, Sempai. I won't judge you. If it's a secret, I won't tell anyone. Please trust me."  
  
Juri clasped Utena's hand tightly with both of hers and laid her head against the three. She took a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed her cheek softly against them.  
  
"It's so hard. I don't want you to hate me. Don't hate me, Utena."  
  
The pink haired one grinned widely now and stroked the golden ringlets with her free hand.   
  
"I could never hate you, Sempai. Never. Do you realize you just called me by my name for the first time?"  
  
The ringlets shifted, shadowed eyes lifted to meet hers.  
  
"I guess I did."  
  
And the golden haired one leaned forward to meet her beloved's lips for the first time.  
  
Utena was in a state of confusion. Where was she? Soft lips........who's lips? Who's kiss? Flashing golden hair. Who's hair? What? Mmmm, Sempai. Sempai. Juri. Juri.......was kissing her. Juri's soft and delicious lips..........kissing her.   
  
Juri was brought back to reality by the shoulders she had gripped spasming once and then disappearing from her hold entirely. She looked up to find a red-faced Utena five feet away and backing up fast. The pink hair was mussed, and she was stammaring and touching her lips in disbelief. Juri smiled affectionately in sorrow and embarassment. She got to her feet and approached her beloved slowly.  
  
"Utena."   
  
The head snapped around to stare at the softly spoken statement. It was the same soft tone she had heard all that night, and now she recognized the love laced in it. The shock finally hit and she turned and ran, stumbling out of the clearing and into the lunch crowd slowly returning to class.   
  
Juri watched the retreating back then walked numbly back to where she had sat before. Taking up her own lunch bag, she carefully pulled out a single yellow rose. This damn thing had started it all. Just because she had found a stupid rose the color of her own hair shot through with pink didn't mean she should go and humiliate herself for nothing. For rejection! With utter hate, she ripped off each petal and watched dispassionatly as her fingerprints left brown marks on each.  
  
*end flashback*   
  
Damn that rose. Damn that kiss. And damn her. She tossed the alcohol that hadn't helped her at all down on the lawn, splattering her shoes anyway, and hung her head.   
  
It took her a while to register the soft stroking on the back of her neck. She tilted her head to the side, ready to tell some horny bastard off, and met with a soft brown sweater. Partially covered by a wave of pink hair. She looked up, up, the head wasn't usually higher than hers, and into the brightest blue she had ever encountered. Utena smiled at her, a full and warm smile, and twirled a ringlet around her finger.  
  
"Shhh. I thought about it. I thought about it A-LOT. I think I understand now why you were scared. I was terrified. I didn't know what was going on. At first......at first the kiss was amazing, and I was just THERE. With you. But then my rational brain, the little bastard, took over and told me that it was somehow wrong. But IT's the one that's wrong. There's something there with you. I want to find out what it is. Show me? Please, Kohibto?"  
  
Juri's breath caught at she stared up at her beloved. She wanted to believe, oh she did........  
  
Utena leaned down and softly brushed a few ringlets away before leaving a soft kiss right to the side and above her eye. Juri sobbed once and flung herself into waiting arms of her beloved. She breathed in Utena's scent and her breath hitched a few more times. The younger girl buried her head in golden curls and whispered meaninless words to calm.  
  
"I promise to show you, Love, if you promise to show me too."  
  
"I will Love, I will."  
  
Utena dropped the flower she had carried for courage and used both hands to hold her love closer.  
  
The pink rose lay on a remarkably dry spot, it's golden highlights glinting in the dim light.  
  
*************  
  
The End! And this is all the J/U fics I've wrote! Come on people! Inspire me! Show me your own magnificent J/U works! 


End file.
